In May, the Chinese authorities issue an authorization to open the Unipol Representative Office in Beijing. This is an important recognition: Unipol is the first European Company to obtain such a result. At that time, in fact, only an American Company (AIG, founded in Shanghai in the thirties) and a Japanese company have obtained such authorization. Finding a partner remains necessary and contacts continue, especially with Ping An in Shenzhen in view of a possible partnership.